Put Your Favorite Local Small Business on the Map

Now's the time to show some appreciation for your neighborhood businesses, and maybe win them some money as a result!

The NYC Department of Small Business Services is running a program to promote businesses that New Yorkers have recognized as essential to their local neighborhood. Visit the Love Your Local site to add independent, non-franchise businesses to the map and they may qualify to receive a portion of $1.8 million in grants and expert advice to build their business.

Right now, the program is in the nomination phase, where New Yorkers choose the businesses that mean the most to them and add them to the map. The Department of Small Business Services will check that the store qualifies and fine-tune its location, then it will be part of the map of NYC small businesses. The business owners may then choose to apply for grants after being nominated by neighborhood residents.

Find a local store you love that turns the city from a fast-food fortress into something really special and exceptionally New York and they can join nominees like Johnny's Pizzeria in Sunset Park and St. George Pharmacy in Staten Island.